Workplace Learning Among Library Professionals of University Libraries in Kerala

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the workplace learning among the library professionals in university libraries in Kerala. Structured questionnaires were employed to collect data from a representative sample of 100 library professionals from the central libraries of the University of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, and University of Calicut. The analysis shows that majority of the library professionals are engaged in workplace learning. It is found that formal learning methods contribute much for workplace learning in the libraries. The library professionals engage in workplace learning to keep them up-to-date. Most of the professionals are self motivated and they acquire the skills for digital library development through these learning interventions.

Malaysian research-support librarians’ self-directed learning traits: Examining demographic differences and their relationship with competencies

“…Nonetheless, research-support librarians have to bear in mind that with greater experience comes some potentially negative effects. The findings above, added to the previous findings of Fagan (2000), Flatley and Weber (2004), Galbraith and Quinney (2013), Giuse et al (1999), Irfan et al (2015), Lai and Wang (2012), Reid and Tairi (2012), Tomaszewski and MacDonald (2009), Varlejs (1999), Vega and Connell (2007) and Wiebrands and Wiebrands (2014), suggest that the compelling motivators are internal. Internal incentives include the desire for increased job satisfaction, improving self-esteem and confidence, recognition, better life quality, self-actualisation and curiosity.…”

“…Previous studies agreed that self-directed learning has a significant influence on competencies (Galbraith and Quinney, 2013; Irfan et al, 2015). Accordingly, self-directed learning approaches were the most established methods used by research-support librarians to improve their proficiencies (Hashim, 2008; Shin et al, 2017; Yang and Jiang, 2014), which is believed to derive from librarians acting on their own initiative (Ley et al, 2005; Viliunas, 2013) and presumably happened within a librarian’s workplace setting.…”

“…Many previous studies have concluded that there is a significant relationship between self-directed learning and the competencies of librarians. For instance, Irfan et al (2015) investigated within a university context in Kerala, India, whether the competencies of professional librarians were derived from their self-directed learning process. Their findings show that most of the librarians studied were highly self-motivated individuals, which strongly influenced their self-development and competencies.…”

Management of electronic resources by management institute in Pune City: a survey

“…Before the invention of Emery and Stone model, Oliver Peach model was in use, but this model was not sufficient to fulfill the requirement of users as said by most of the librarians (Chang et al, 2015;Irfan et al, 2015;Umesh Patel, 2015;Nyamboga et al, 2014). Oliver Peach model was expanded by Emery and Stone, that is TERM model with six stagesinvestigation, acquisition, implementation, evaluation, review and retainwhich was created to fulfill the needs of the users.…”

“…The Indian scenario, however, is slightly different, in the sense that very few studies are conducted in this field (Patra, 2017;Arora and Agarwal, 2003;Ram, 2005). Then, too, the focus of the Indian studies has been more on the use of electronic resources by users than on the maintenance of these resources (Asore, 2015;Irfan et al, 2015).…”